


53 Roses

by Kelliemae87



Category: Ed Sheeran - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelliemae87/pseuds/Kelliemae87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sammie Lang and Johnny Alvarez fall in love with each other starting with equations. </p><p>**Based on the song In Memory**</p>
            </blockquote>





	53 Roses

Sammie carried a brown basket and a plaid cloth across the stretch of grass. Her hair was perfectly curled and she was wearing her Sunday's best. The dress she had picked out was red and she chose white wedges that complimented her eyes as John once told her. That's where she's going to actually. Let me tell you the story of Sammie and John. It's a beautiful one indeed. 

Sammie Lang came from an all American family. Her grandparents were from a tiny town in Russia, but they moved their small children to the States for a better life. They used every penny to get Sammie's mom to America. Her dad came from Austria and the rest is history. The Lang's had four kids, two were boys who went straight into the Marines. The littlest Lang, Massie, went to Russia and never came back. Sammie was very loved at home and at school, however things weren't all sunshine. At age 14 her parents divorced and her mom went back to Russia and stayed with Massie. The eldest Lang, Jaspar, was killed in the line of duty at just shy of his 21 st birthday. The Army let Daniel, the second Lang, come home for two weeks and then shipped him back. Daniel never was the same after that and neither were the Langs. Their mother was gone, the littlest sister was gone, and Jaspar is dead. Turner, the father, lost it. He began drinking and for the first time Sammie couldn't look at him. By the age of 16 Sammie had lost all her friends and was deathly quiet. People stopped saying "sorry for your loss" and she was okay with that. Honestly did they understand what is was like to sit at his funeral as the salute began for someone who never had a life ? She wasn't sorry for herself, she got over that. She was sorry for the people who never got to meet her extraordinary brother. All of the people he would never touch or say hello to. His future bride will be devastated and his future kids will never be real. Sammie thought all the time about if they would've had his brown eyes or his wives'. That was the only thing on her mind until she met Johnny.

Johnny Alvarez was born in the patriotic little town of Scanton, Oklahoma. At the age of 10 his parents divorced and he moved to New York with his mom. They lived in the poor section of Staten Island, but they always had food and water. Light was something of a dream. He used a flashlight to see at night and to do his homework. Because of this he broke his foot when he was 15. There was no money for the doctor so that meant he had to suck it up. When he was 17 he had his first drink and he threw up all over the place. He became a social outcast with stellar grades. Just after he decided his future he met Sammie Lang. He never fell so hard. 

It's debatable to decide who had the worst childhood because honestly they both sucked. Each tear they cried was a tally. Eventually these tallies totalled more than the students at their tiny school in Staten Island. When the two met the first thing Johnny said was, "You have nice eyebrows." Sammie responded with, "You're really good at math." Eventually Johnny started tutoring her, but the thing was she didn't need it. Sammie was in advanced maths and so was Johnny. In fact they were in the sane class. He knew this was all bs, but he loved seeing Sammie twirl her long hair when she focused. He looked forward to seeing her brown eyes squinting at the paper as she faked not understanding. By Senior year they were in love. By prom they had slept together, but Johnny made it special. He planned out every rose petal and made it beautiful. By graduation they were attached at the hip. 

Sammie had never been to Johnny's house because he couldn't bare taking her to that dump. They mostly were at her house and had dinner at the diner on Daxon Street. However Johnny and Sammie had limited time together left. They had 50 days to be exact. For every day Johnny scrabbled dimes together to buy her a single yellow rose. It was a peculiar choice of flower but Sam loved it. They spent every day together doing something. For an entire week they went to Canada just to get real Maple syrup. 

John had to work two jobs to pay for bills and to have his time with Sam. He was leaving her for his country. This was something he dreamed of doing since he was 10 and this would pay for college. All he had to do was one four year tour and then go to college and move in with Sammie. 

Their last night was special. They made love and ate strawberries for hours. Neither mention what was to come in the morning. Eventually the light of day came. Sammie put on the same outfit that she is wearing today while John slicked his brown hair back and put on a suit. Together they walked to the terminal. John handed Sam the 50 th rose and she cried. They kissed for the final time and Sammie took note of his strawberry lips. 

They exchanged letters for five months. One week it was Sam and then the next was John. Instead of confessing his fear of his safety, he told the stories of the men in his platoon. Sam knew he was terrified, but she tried to live normally. 

John had his first "vacation" durning the spring. For two weeks they laughed and loved. A month after John left to go back Sam bought a pregnancy test. She was pregnant at the age of 19. Many things ran through her mind as she cried for a week straight. She was loving her college time, she was going to be a kindergarten teacher. How was she going to be as to have a baby and go to college with John in another continent ? So she called her mother in Russia. She flew to Sam's rescue and offered to help raise her first grandchild. When Sammie finally wrote to Johnny again she was excited. She scribbled 'Johnny, we are having a baby. My mother is going to be here while you're there.'

Johnny cried when he got the news. He told every member in his platoon and they had a little party for him. Johnny Alvarez was going to be a dad at 19 years old. Then he cried again, but this time it wasn't happy tears. How is he suppose to help her ? He's going to miss ultrasounds, late night cries, feedings, laughter, first steps, first words, pre-school, and every perfect moment with Sammie. That's when he decided that they ought to marry on his next break. And try did just that. Sammie's brother and mother came. Daniel walked her down the aisle to him. His mom cried as they read their vowels. By then Sam was three months along. 

Their honeymoon consisted of decorating the nursery, which was just a corner in their room. Eventually John returned to his station in Afghanistan. A month later Sam sent the photographs of the sonogram. They were having a little girl. That night he made a list of names for their little girl. He liked Sarah and Millie. 

On a hot September morning Johnny was doing his rounds in Scorpion Desert when he stepped on an I.E.D. He was killed instantly. The last thing he thought about what color his daughter's eyes would be. Sammie got the letter three days after. 

'Your husband John Arnold Alvarez has paid the ultimate sacrifice.'

She collapsed on the floor sobbing. Her mother ran down quickly to see her daughter screaming "No, no, no !" She cradled her daughter in her arms as she read the letter herself. Even she cried with her daughter. First Jaspar and now John. Sammie is set to have their baby in the winter and now this child was going to be without a father. Sammie cried all night and the following day after that. Her hands rested in her baby bump as she thought. This is the only thing left of Johnny. She stopped crying for a breath to pray. 

"God please let me have her."

The funeral was terrible. They gave her an American flag and his dog tags. She traced her fingers across his name as the gun shots rang out. It was a closed casket but that didn't stop her from hugging it. She kissed it too. A few of John's friends from war hugged her and told her that if she ever needed anything that she could call them. She never did though. 

For months after Sam had nightmares about John. She dreamed that he came back to life and he was missing parts and his face was a bloody mess. The worst of all was her giving born to a still born or that John would be disappointed. During one of the dreams she peed herself. Not actually, her water broke. 

Rose Camilla Alvarez was born on February 10, two days late. At first Sammie couldn't bear to hold the child. She watched as her mother rocked the baby. That's when it hit her. This is Johnny. Sammie held her for three hours before the nurses took her. Why Rose you might ask. Because as she gave birth Sammie counted the roses that John had given her. Fifty roses for the fifty days they had together before he was shipped off. 

And this brings us to today. It's Johnny's 20 th birthday. That is the reason for the walk across the grass. Sammie is walking to Johnny. As she reaches his grave she sets 4 month old Rose's carrier in the grass. Next to the baby is a brown basket for a picnic. Sammie flutters a plaid blanket down on the soft green grass. It floats down and she sits. She pulls Rose close to her. Rosie is fast asleep and looks peaceful. Little brown hair cascades down her daughters scalp. If her eyes were open you would be able to see Johnny's blue eyes. Sam was so happy that Rose had blue eyes like John's. Everytime the baby smiled she saw Johnny smiling. 

Now sitting at his grave she doesn't cry. Instead she tells him about how her college classes are going and that she hates their new neighbors. Sammie eats cheese crackers that she packed as she holds a bottle to Rose's mouth. A little burp comes from her daughter and she laughs. Instead of singing Happy Birthday, she sings a song that Johnny used to hum. 

"I write this song in memory of the wayward smile, the boy we won't forget. The soul you took away from us. The river flows. The tears we wept. Missing you is all that needs to be said. More blue than the words inside my head. And I know that you're gone. And I know that you're gone."

Sammie sings the Ed Sheeran song as she pulls 53 flowers from the brown basket. She places 50 on his grave every day they had before he left, one for finding out she was pregnant, one for having Rose, and a final one for his death. Just ahead of her was 53 yellow roses for Johnny. She smiled as she sang on. 

"And I know that you're gone. And I know that you're gone. And I know that you're gone." 

*********************


End file.
